CIC-NET : A platform for UBC CIC alumni students
Current and previous UBC Cloud Innovation Centre (UBC-CIC) student employees, with a passion for innovation, can now stay connected and up to date with CIC updates, challenges and events. The UBC-CIC has launched the Cloud Innovation Centre Network (CIC-NET), a platform designed to keep student alumni engaged with CIC challenges and activities after their co-op work term is over.
Overview
Before CIC-NET was created, UBC CIC co-op student alumni struggled to maintain a meaningful relationship with the CIC and the projects they worked on during their work term when trying to continue their career development.
The student alumni have valuable knowledge and insight into the Challenges they’ve worked on, which is lost after the student’s work term ends. Maintaining a relationship with the CIC after their co-op was difficult as life quickly got in the way and there were no convenient mechanisms for the alumni to implement. This created a disconnect from the student alumni that wanted to remain involved and see the Centre’s progress.
Approach
Using the front-end AWS React application, the CIC-NET platform provides users with an intuitive interface to post updates and view information after the completion of their co-op. By creating this easily-accessible community that provides opportunity for continued engagement in CIC projects and activities such as new innovation projects, mentorship, and student training events, student alumni can continue interacting with the Centre after leaving. The CIC-NET platform uses AWS Amplify to provision resources on the Cloud. App Sync is then used to make API requests to read and write data to the DynamoDB database. As profiles are created, CIC-NET uses AWS Cognitio to manage it all.
Link to solution on Github: https://github.com/UBC-CIC/cicnet
The ability to maintain a relationship with the CIC is important for students coming through the Centre as the knowledge they gained during their co-op term continues to be meaningful after they’ve left. They would like the ability to contribute by giving input into future product development, answering technical or support-related questions, or assisting other public sector organizations who want to implement a similar project. CIC-NET creates an opportunity for the alumni to have continued engagement with all Challenges, events, and updates. In doing so, student alumni continue to be a part of the UBC-CIC community by offering their support, knowledge and time after their work term has ended.
CIC-NET helps continue fostering the relationship built between student alumni and the Cloud Innovation Centre by providing a user-friendly tool to access Challenge updates, news about events and CIC updates. This allows the Centre to continue engaging with the knowledge, insight, and passion the student alumni have after completing their work term in an easily accessible way.
Supporting Artifacts
During the Innovation Workshop, a fictional Press Release and nonfictional Frequently Asked Questions are drafted. This is a tool that is used to define the solution and why it matters to the customer. The Storyboard is a series of frames designed to illustrate the problem and the impact of the solution visually.
Architecture Diagram
Press Release
A link here for the press release.
FAQ’s
Customer FAQs
Q: Who is this platform for?
A: CIC-NET is a platform for all student alumni that have either worked at the UBC Cloud Innovation Centre through a Co-op work term or volunteered their time working on a UBC CIC Challenge. This can include undergraduate, masters and PhD students.
Q: How does this help student alumni?
A: This tool will enable UBC-CIC students to continue their involvement after the completion of their co-op by creating an easily-accessible community that provides personalized recommendations for engagement in CIC projects and activities such as new innovation projects, mentorship opportunities, and student training events.
Q: Is my personal private data secure?
A: Personal data should be stored on the CIC application and does not go through any kind of 3rd party processing. Personal data will not be shared unless specified by the user. In such a case, the user may want to broadcast a part of his/her information such as: professional activity, previous projects worked on, skillsets & interests…etc. Personal information will be disposed (deleted) if the user chooses to do so.
Q: How does it work?
A: This is a website which allows users to log in, populate their profiles and update their preferences. Users can also log in and check the CIC’s newsfeed.
Q: Should I use my personal or UBC email?
A: You can use any email to access the website.
Q: How will this help my career development?
A: CIC-NET provides opportunities for engagement and growth through Challenges, job postings, and other development resources, such as contacts, industry news, and new technology. Users will be able to sign up for training events, apply to volunteer positions posted through CIC-NET, and receive updates about projects they previously worked on.
Q: How often is it updated?
A: It depends on the number of challenges/events the CIC will have. This is expected to increase over time.
Q: Can I pick the challenges I engage with?
A: Yes, you can choose which Challenges to continue engagement with. However, not all Challenges need the extra support. Only those posted within the tool will have the opportunity for continued engagement.
Q: Is there an opportunity for payment?
A: No, this is all voluntary.
Stakeholder FAQs
Q: Data privacy concerning student profiles and info?
A: The students opt-into the platform and accept Terms and Conditions. Personal data should be stored on the CIC application and does not go through any kind of 3rd party processing. Personal data will not be shared unless specified by the user. In such a case, the user may want to broadcast a part of his/her information such as: professional activity, previous projects worked on, skillsets & interests…etc. Personal information will be disposed (deleted) if the user chooses to do so.
Q: Can UBC post jobs?
A: No, UBC already has a mechanism to post jobs. However, if UBC uses the CIC to work on future Challenges, there may be the opportunity for student alumni to volunteer their time to work on it.
Q: Can UBC CIC post opportunities to work in challenges/events/training?
A: Yes, but it won’t be exclusively posted on the platform.
Q: Can other students access the app?
A: Not at this time, but there could be future development that allows other students to access it.
Q: Can the co-op offices use the same solution developed?
A: The solution is open-source and can be re-used by other co-op offices and other universities.
Q: Can challenge sponsors post jobs?
A: Yes, if the UBC policy allows it.
Q: Who maintains it?
A: The UBC Cloud Innovation Centre will maintain it. Current Co-op students will update it throughout their work term.
Q: Who pays for it? How much does it cost?
A: CIC credits will be used to host the application on the CIC AWS Account.
Q: Who is the business owner?
A: The CIC Deputy Director.
Q: Is it an app or a webpage?
A: It is a mobile-friendly website.
Q: How will the profile matching work?
A: Users will be matched based on metadata from their notification preferences and user profiles.
Q: What data do we need?
A: We will need updates about current projects that the CIC is developing, news of upcoming projects, sponsors, organization contacts and opportunities. In the future, jobs from organizations can be posted here, including project requirements and what kind of skill sets they need for further project development.
Q: Where does the data come from?
A: The data will be manually inputted/ uploaded by the CIC Project Assistant Co-op role.
Visuals
About the University of British Columbia Cloud Innovation Centre (UBC CIC)
UBC’s CIC is a public-private collaboration between UBC and Amazon. A CIC identifies digital transformation challenges, the problems or opportunities that matter to the community, and provides subject matter expertise and CIC leadership.
Using Amazon’s innovation methodology, dedicated UBC and Amazon CIC staff will work with students, staff and faculty, as well as community, government or not-for-profit organizations to define challenges, to engage with subject matter experts, to identify a solution, and to build a Proof of Concept (PoC). Through co-op and work-integrated learning, students also have an opportunity to learn new skills which they will later be able to apply in the workforce.
UBC’s CIC focuses on Community Health and Wellbeing.
